Third & Long: a I-AA farewell
7/14/2004 12:00:00 AM | Football
Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) - I didn't really want to write this column. There's nothing more annoying than a self-important reporter waxing poetic, as if his job description included splitting the quark, while updating you on his personal life. I know this, yet here I am, annoying you all. As of next week, I'll be moving over to the NFL beat here at The Sports Network, and I thought I should at least offer a goodbye and some gratitude to a special few.
I'll start with a readership that has been unbelievably dedicated and wonderfully vocal. It means a lot more than a writer will ever admit to receive comments about their work. Besides making the job fun, the feedback proves that people are paying attention. Hopefully, the fact that I drew large amounts of both praise and criticism means I was being fair. Objective and thorough coverage, which still exists in short supply in I-AA, was always the goal.
Those that went the extra mile to invite me to a tailgate party or social event deserve additional thanks. That I'll always have a special place in my heart for Montana fans should go without saying, but there were some other All-Star supporters at places like Georgia Southern, Northwestern State, Youngstown State, McNeese State, Florida A&M, Western Illinois, Lehigh, Furman, and Delaware. Your generous hospitality will be forever appreciated, and your passion forever admired.
Next I must mention the great professionals in the sports information world that helped make my job easy and enjoyable. SIDs work harder than the average fan realizes, and there are far too many great ones in I-AA for me to single out any individually. For those outstanding people (and you know who you are), your assistance, friendship, and professionalism have been too meaningful to measure. A nod also to the commissioners and athletic directors who have been giving of both their time and perspective during the past four years.
The players and coaches that I had the privilege of following will be sorely missed. Covering a level of football that in many cases is starved for attention meant getting incredibly close to some of the best that serve either on the sidelines or between them. I am indebted to all of those that took the time to meet or speak with me, and those coaches that offered unprecedented access or regular words of encouragement - most notably Andy Talley (Villanova), Don Patterson (Western Illinois), Pete Lembo (Lehigh), Daryl Daye (Nicholls State), Mike Kramer (Montana State), Scott Stoker (Northwestern State), and Dave Clawson (Richmond, formerly Fordham) (as well as former Montana coach Joe Glenn, now with Wyoming) - represent, in my mind, the ultimate representatives of their esteemed universities.
I leaned hard on fellow media members for a great deal of my information, and it would have been difficult to fathom fulfilling my duties without access to their work. The great beat writer Jon Kasper (Missoulian), in addition to letting me hang out with him at Stockman's Bar, was a frequent source for all things Big Sky. Much of the oft-cumbersome I-AA world was distilled for me expertly by Otto Fad (I-AA.com), a friend and uncompromising visionary who offered constant positive reinforcement and promotion.
The powers that be here at TSN, the same ones that have afforded me a great new opportunity with the NFL, were always supportive of my work with I-AA, even when it was difficult to see a tangible return on their investment. Thanks to them for letting me partake of those Aerosmith-style U.S. tours from July through December, because otherwise I wouldn't have been capable of seeing three different Louisiana airports (none of which are New Orleans, by the way). To my great relief, The Sports Network has maintained their commitment to I-AA by bringing aboard a hard working person and extremely talented writer, Matt Dougherty, to serve as my successor. Matt is a pro, and will do the I-AA beat great justice.
Since I started covering I-AA football in 2000, my life has been marked by some significant events. I buried a father that had served as a constant source of inspiration (and still does), watched helplessly from afar while my mother courageously and successfully battled cancer, and earned myself a spot in the overachievers hall of fame for somehow landing an understanding, supportive, and altogether amazing (and stunning) wife. In good times, the beat has been a sunny complement to a charmed life, and in bad, a pleasant diversion from the real world. As much as I fancy myself a writer and reporter just doing the job for which he is paid, there is no doubt that I-AA football has crept into my soul. It is easy to relate to a level of play where most participants do what they do for the love of the game, their fellow participants, and their institutions. Now I can let my guard down and be a fan of that world, I suppose.
I hope that those of you that may have grown to respect my work might come visit me in the NFL pages, where I'll be yet another ship on a crowded sea of coverage (and bad metaphors). Thanks for everything, and especially for allowing me to indulge in this small and final bit of self-aggrandizing.
I'll start with a readership that has been unbelievably dedicated and wonderfully vocal. It means a lot more than a writer will ever admit to receive comments about their work. Besides making the job fun, the feedback proves that people are paying attention. Hopefully, the fact that I drew large amounts of both praise and criticism means I was being fair. Objective and thorough coverage, which still exists in short supply in I-AA, was always the goal.
Those that went the extra mile to invite me to a tailgate party or social event deserve additional thanks. That I'll always have a special place in my heart for Montana fans should go without saying, but there were some other All-Star supporters at places like Georgia Southern, Northwestern State, Youngstown State, McNeese State, Florida A&M, Western Illinois, Lehigh, Furman, and Delaware. Your generous hospitality will be forever appreciated, and your passion forever admired.
Next I must mention the great professionals in the sports information world that helped make my job easy and enjoyable. SIDs work harder than the average fan realizes, and there are far too many great ones in I-AA for me to single out any individually. For those outstanding people (and you know who you are), your assistance, friendship, and professionalism have been too meaningful to measure. A nod also to the commissioners and athletic directors who have been giving of both their time and perspective during the past four years.
The players and coaches that I had the privilege of following will be sorely missed. Covering a level of football that in many cases is starved for attention meant getting incredibly close to some of the best that serve either on the sidelines or between them. I am indebted to all of those that took the time to meet or speak with me, and those coaches that offered unprecedented access or regular words of encouragement - most notably Andy Talley (Villanova), Don Patterson (Western Illinois), Pete Lembo (Lehigh), Daryl Daye (Nicholls State), Mike Kramer (Montana State), Scott Stoker (Northwestern State), and Dave Clawson (Richmond, formerly Fordham) (as well as former Montana coach Joe Glenn, now with Wyoming) - represent, in my mind, the ultimate representatives of their esteemed universities.
I leaned hard on fellow media members for a great deal of my information, and it would have been difficult to fathom fulfilling my duties without access to their work. The great beat writer Jon Kasper (Missoulian), in addition to letting me hang out with him at Stockman's Bar, was a frequent source for all things Big Sky. Much of the oft-cumbersome I-AA world was distilled for me expertly by Otto Fad (I-AA.com), a friend and uncompromising visionary who offered constant positive reinforcement and promotion.
The powers that be here at TSN, the same ones that have afforded me a great new opportunity with the NFL, were always supportive of my work with I-AA, even when it was difficult to see a tangible return on their investment. Thanks to them for letting me partake of those Aerosmith-style U.S. tours from July through December, because otherwise I wouldn't have been capable of seeing three different Louisiana airports (none of which are New Orleans, by the way). To my great relief, The Sports Network has maintained their commitment to I-AA by bringing aboard a hard working person and extremely talented writer, Matt Dougherty, to serve as my successor. Matt is a pro, and will do the I-AA beat great justice.
Since I started covering I-AA football in 2000, my life has been marked by some significant events. I buried a father that had served as a constant source of inspiration (and still does), watched helplessly from afar while my mother courageously and successfully battled cancer, and earned myself a spot in the overachievers hall of fame for somehow landing an understanding, supportive, and altogether amazing (and stunning) wife. In good times, the beat has been a sunny complement to a charmed life, and in bad, a pleasant diversion from the real world. As much as I fancy myself a writer and reporter just doing the job for which he is paid, there is no doubt that I-AA football has crept into my soul. It is easy to relate to a level of play where most participants do what they do for the love of the game, their fellow participants, and their institutions. Now I can let my guard down and be a fan of that world, I suppose.
I hope that those of you that may have grown to respect my work might come visit me in the NFL pages, where I'll be yet another ship on a crowded sea of coverage (and bad metaphors). Thanks for everything, and especially for allowing me to indulge in this small and final bit of self-aggrandizing.
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